2015 Creative New Zealand opportunities for writers

Creative New Zealand is currently calling for applications for several exciting opportunities for writers in 2015 and 2016.

The Michael King Writers Fellowship 2015 is valued at $100,000 and is open to established New Zealand writers.

The fellowship will be awarded for a significant project that will take two years or more to complete and is open to established authors of any literary genre who have already published a significant body of work.

The fellowship was offered for the first time in 2003, and was renamed in recognition of the late Dr Michael King for his contribution to literature and his role in advocating for a major fellowship for New Zealand writers.

The Berlin Writers Residency will be offered in Berlin, Germany in 2015 and 2016.

The residency is for a period of up to eleven months, starting after 1 November 2015 and finishing no later than 30 September 2016. The opportunity is open to New Zealand writers only.

It provides a unique opportunity for a New Zealand writer to live and work in Berlin.

A stipend of NZD$40,000 is offered to cover travel to Berlin, insurance and living costs. Creative New Zealand provides a one bedroom, 60sqm apartment in the district of Friedrichshain in former East Berlin, which has a reputation as a lively and dynamic district. The apartment is close to the last standing section of the Berlin wall.

The primary aim of the Berlin Writers Residency is for the successful applicant to work on an approved project while in a new environment. On returning, the successful applicant will be expected to have completed, or substantially completed, a body of writing.

In addition, transporting the artist to a different environment is expected to have many other benefits including developing the potential of an artist through exposure to new cultures and new ideas. Ideally, the residency will also result in an increased awareness in Berlin of New Zealand literature.